Bolt d'Oro to Sit Out Shuttle Trip to Australia
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Photo: Spendthrift Farm/Autry Graham photo
Bolt d'Oro at Spendthrift Farm
Bolt d'Oro will not shuttle to Spendthrift Australia this year.
The 5-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro served both his first Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere books last year, with 104 mares covered in Australia at a debut fee of AU$13,750.
However, Spendthrift Australia's general manager, Garry Cuddy, announced on social media May 8 that Bolt d'Oro would not return to the farm in Victoria in 2020.
"We are disappointed to announce that Bolt d'Oro will not shuttle to Australia in 2020 due to him not handling the shuttle process last season," he wrote. "Our decision has been made with the welfare of the horse in mind."
The Racing Post revealed in March that Bolt d'Oro, the winner of the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and FrontRunner Stakes (G1) at 2 in 2017, had been taken out of service at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky for two days early in this year's breeding session after becoming too aggressive for handlers to manage.
The operation's general manager, Ned Toffey, reported that the stallion had responded positively to changes suggested by an equine behaviorist and was back to performing well in the covering shed.
Bolt d'Oro served 214 mares in his first book at Spendthrift in 2019 and has commanded a fee of $25,000 in his second season.